Rhode Island · checked October 24, 2026

Payday loans in Rhode Island: the rules and your way out

Payday loans allowed, with limits

Licensed check cashers may make deferred-deposit (payday) transactions up to $500 until December 31, 2026; a 2025 law repeals the deferred-deposit authority effective January 1, 2027.

Rhode Island repealed its payday lending law effective January 1, 2027 (P.L. 2025, chapters 373 and 391). Loans can still be made under it until then.

Law: R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 19-14.4-4, 19-14.4-5, 19-14.4-5.1 (repealed eff. Jan. 1, 2027 by P.L. 2025, ch. 373 and ch. 391); § 19-14-1(5) (definition). R.I. General Laws as published by the RI Legislature, accessed 2026-10-24; reflects P.L. 2025, ch. 373/391 (enacted 07/01/2025, effective 01/01/2027).

Rhode Island's rules, line by line

Largest loan: $500 face amount per check; $500 aggregate of concurrently outstanding checks held by the licensee or its affiliate from the same customer (R.I. Gen. Laws § 19-14.4-5.1(a), (d), (e)).
Shortest term: 13 days (§ 19-14.4-5.1(a), (b)).
Fee or rate cap: Deferred deposit transaction fees may not exceed 10% of the amount of funds advanced (§ 19-14.4-4(4), effective until January 1, 2027).
Renewals and rollovers: Maximum of one rollover; a rollover is an extension of the due date for payment of only an additional fee (§ 19-14.4-5.1(c), (g)).
Loans at once: Up to 3 concurrently outstanding checks per customer at a licensee and its affiliates, within the $500 aggregate cap (§ 19-14.4-5.1(f)).
Payment plan if you cannot pay: None found in the deferred-deposit statute (§ 19-14.4-5.1).
State loan database: No statewide database provision found in Chapter 19-14.4.
Limits on collection: Written agreement may not permit the check casher to accept collateral (§ 19-14.4-5.1(b)). No statutory NSF-fee or criminal-prosecution provision specific to deferred deposits found in Chapter 19-14.4.
Other rights: Lender must give a duplicate original of the agreement, disclose fees in dollars and as an APR (§ 19-14.4-5.1(b), (h)), and post fees as a dollar amount and APR (§ 19-14.4-5(a)). From January 1, 2027, P.L. 2025, ch. 373 and ch. 391 repeal § 19-14.4-5.1, delete the 10% deferred-deposit fee, and add an anti-evasion clause (including internet lending) to the small-loan rate law, § 19-14.2-1(d).

If you are behind on a payday loan in Rhode Island

Stop the automatic withdrawals if they are emptying your account. You can revoke the lender's permission to debit your account and tell your bank. How to do it.
Look at a credit union payday alternative loan. Federal credit unions can lend $200 to $2,000 at much lower cost. How they work.
Talk to a nonprofit credit counselor. A counselor can look at all your bills, not just this one. How to find a real one.

Check a lender, or report one

Sources

R.I. Gen. Laws § 19-14.4-5.1, Customer checks: deferred deposits, read 2026-10-24
R.I. Gen. Laws § 19-14.4-4, Fees for services, read 2026-10-24
R.I. Gen. Laws § 19-14.4-5, Posting of charges, read 2026-10-24
R.I. Gen. Laws § 19-14.2-1, Maximum rate on small loans, read 2026-10-24
R.I. P.L. 2025, ch. 373 (H 5042 Sub A), read 2026-10-24

This page summarizes the law; it is not legal advice. Laws change, and the statute and regulator control. If something here is out of date, write to hello@paydayloan.help.